Hand grip for beverage cases



D. E. KEssLERJ 2,788,933 x-mgo GRIP Foa BEVERAGE cAsss Filed July 2'1, 1954 l April 1s, 1957 .Y 14 1'7 f 1e, 19

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ward1y from the hand hole. p A' strongest area of the c ase and is capable of resisting then nited States Patent O HAND only non BEVERAGE CASES David E. Kessler, Cincinnati, Ohio Appunti@ .any 21, 1954, serial No. 444,847

s ciaims. (ci. 229-52) This invention relates to paperboard cases or containers for bottled beer and other beverages and is directed particularly to an improvement in the arrangement of the hand gip holes which are used in carrying the packed cases.

The conventional returnable beer case contains 24 bottles of the l2 ounce size; it is furnished with hand holes in its opposite end walls and is intended to be carried with both hands inserted in the hand holes although it is often carried by one hand. This type of case is strongly constructed of heavy paperboard material having a pair of hinged lids including marginal flanges which tit over the top edges of the case to reinforce the end walls in the area above the hand holes. The cost of the returnable case is rather high and requires a cash deposit to be paid by the consumer to the retailer or brewery. When the case is used up, the consumer replaces the empty bottles in it and returns the case and empty bottles to the brewery or retailer for reuse, at which time the deposit is returned to him.

The present invention is intended to be applied to nonreturnable or disposable cartons which are more lightly and cheaply constructed than the returnable cases' and require no deposit by the consumer. The principal object of the invention is to provide hand grip holes which are located in a position to allow the carton to be carried with unusual convenience by-one hand or both, if desired; also to provide a structure which takes advantage of the corner construction of the case to impart a high degree of strength to the end walls in the areas above the hand holes.

The beer case embodying this invention follows conventional carton construction, consisting of a rectangular "ice `weight load without deformation or tearing when ,the

case is carried, even with one hand inserted in the hole.

To take full advantage of the reinforcing effect of the corner structure, the major axis of the oblong hole iS inclined downwardly and outwardly from the top toward the side wall which is adjacent the outer end of the hole.

-This inclination of the axis provides the unexpected ad- Accordingly, the side wall adjacent the end of the hole,

which. is alongside the body of the person carrying the case, resides nearly in a perpendicular plane to avoid iuterferencewiththe legs While the bulk of the case is displaced laterally outwardly from the legs. Although the weight distribution tends to swing the case inwardly slightly, the pressure yof the thumb and fingers provides sutiicient pressure partially to overcome this and poise the case at a comfortable angle. The hang of the case is far more convenient than a conventional case carried with one hand because the conventional holes are centralized and require the person carrying the case to strain laterally to avoid interference with it.

The various structural details of the invention are disclosed in the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings. Y

in the drawings:

`Figure 1 is a plan view of the one-piece blank of the bottle case before erection.

Figure 2 is a perspective view, showing the erected carton packed, with the top flaps sealed in closed position.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the vposition which the packed case assumes when it iscarried byone hand.

` Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the corner portion of the case, further detailing the hand hole position and arrangement.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5 5, Figure 4 further detailing the constructionofthe hand hole.

With reference to Figure 2, Ithe erected case consists ol side walls 10, Aencl walls 11, a top 12 and a bottom 13.

VAs shown in Figure 1, the blank of corrugated paper t board material 14 includes longitudinal score lines 15 which reinforce the end walls of the returnable carton; Y

hence, if the hand holes. were placed in positions corresponding to the hand holes of the returnable cartons, then the end walls about the hand holes would have a tendency yto tear out or deforrn, especially when the case is carried in a suspended position with one hand only inserted inV a hand hole.

In the present structure, .the hand holes are located in the end walls at diagonally opposite cornerportionsof the case, the holes being oblong in shape and sutiiciently large to allow the Vhands to be insertedinvthem comfortably. Each hole Vis spaced downwardly from the top of the base and its outer end is adjacent but spaced inwords, the corner Vabove the hole forms three beam sections which resist the stresses acting upwardly and out- ThiS vcornerportion is the .and transverse score lines 16 which delineate'the side and end walls. 'I'he top 12 of the case is formed from the side wall flaps 17 and end wall aps 18 joined to the blank bythe longitudinal score line 15 and separated from one another by the slits 19. The bottom L13l of the case is fabricated from similar side wall and end wall aps Yindicatedv at 20 and 21, which are separated from Vone Aanother by the slits 22.

Upon erection, the blank is folded to rectangular shape,

bringing the opposite ends 23 of the blank together; these are attached together by an adhesive coated strip Such as paper indicated at 24. The end wall flaps 21 for the bottom are then folded inwardly and the side wallflaps 26 are folded over upon them and to form the bottom.

The .laps 20 and 21 are then permanently joined together preferably Yby stapling or by applying an adhesive strip across them.

Since the carton is intended principally for packaging Abottled beer, it is provided internally with the usual divider strips formed of cardboard suitably slotted and y arranged in a criss-cross pattern to form individual con1- partments, one for each bottle. Since this does Vnot stripsare omitted from the drawings.

Afterl the divider is inserted and thebottles packed '-in, the end wall flaps 1S at the top edge of the box are folded in, then the side wall flaps 17 are folded down over them in the same manner as the bottom arrangement. The case is then sealed by applying the -advhesiv'e strip ZS'across the top flaps 17. In this condition, the packed case is ready for shipment from the brewery, either directly to the consumer or to a retailer or distributor.

The cases are shipped usually by truck and are i Ystacked in it by the driver or loader who usually grasps the case with one hand as indicated in Figure J and swings the case upwardly for deposit upon the top of the stack. If delivery is made to a retailer, the cases,

are unloaded from the truck and stacked in the same manner in a storage room or in a walk-in refrigerator; upon being purchased, the cases are taken from the stack and carried to the customers car or truck. lt will vbe apparent that each case is subjected to a great deal of handling; therefore, it is imperative that the handdholes provide the most convenient mode of carry- `1ng and that they do not fail under the repeated rough treatment.

As best shown in Figure 2, the case is provided with end walls near the top of the case at diagonally opposite corner portions. The hand holes are in duplicate but are symmetrically opposite in location and direction of inclination, such that the case may be suspended, asl shown in Figure 3, from either end. It will also beV understood that the location of the two hand holes allows the carton'to be carried conveniently with both hands if desired.

Vtwo hand grip holes 26-26 which are located in the The hand holes, which are oblong in shape, are formedV as indicated at 27, leaving the top portion of the outline unsevered and scored as at 28 so as to provide the liap 29 which is folded inwardly as shown in Figure 4. The ap partially reinforces the upper load bearing edge 30 of the hole and provides a smooth rounded gripping surface which contacts the hand (Figure 5).

Referring to Figure 4, it will be noted that the hand hole is located downwardly from the top of the case, leaving intact the end wall portion 31 which extends from the upper edge of the hole to the top of the box.

i This portion is substantially equal in width to the llap 29.V Itrwill also be noted that the outer end of the l' hole is adjacent the side wall of the case, leaving intact 'V'the wall section 32 between the edge of the hole and the side wall. As best shown in Figure 5, thernecks of the bottles 33' are spaced away from the side wall of the case to allowthe lingers to be inserted comfortably into the opening, the end wall portion 31 extending downwardly Ya sufcient distance to accommodate the fingersV as indicated.

'Ihe location of the hand hole in the corner portion of the case takes advantage of the intersecting portions of 'toward Vthe top; the reinforcing structure is thus effective in either mode of carrying.

In order to take greater advantage of the reinforcing effect of the corner structure, the major axis of the oblong hole, as indicated at 34 in Figure 4, is inclined i downwardly and outwardly from the top toward the adjacent side wall. The oblong hole is thus inclined with respect to the top of the box as indicated by the angle A in Figure 4. This brings the hole more into line with the converging beam sections at the comer, making them more effective as reinforcements.

In other words,

by severing the partial outline of the hole in the blank The inclination of the oblong hole provides the second advantage of making the case hang in a position most convenient and comfortable when it is suspended by one hand. As indicated diagrammatically in Figure 3, the major axis 34 of the hole is substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of gravity 35 of the case in suspended position, since axis 35 is perpendicular to end wall 11. Axis 34 and axis 35 are indicated in the diagram as residing in a common plane for purposes of illustration, although it will be understood that the axis of gravity of the case actually is located rearwardly from the hand hole.

The oblique angle A corresponds generally to the natural inclination of the hand in gripping position with the palm facing forwardly; therefore, as viewed in Figure 4, when the case is lifted with the right hand in the hand hole, the suspended case naturally hangs in slightly rotated position relative to the common plane vof the axes 34 and 35, as indicated by angle A in Figure 3. Otherwise expressed, since the angle A compensates for the natural inclination of the hand, the adjacent side wall 10 is disposed in a plane which is least apt to interfere with the legs. Since the hand hole is located forwardly from the actual center of gravity of the case, the case hangs in the forwardly inclined position indicated in Figure 3. The forward inclination thus causes the load stress to act in compression partially through the wall portion 31 above the hole and partially through the wall section 32 to be resisted by the intersecting beam sections of the corner. Although there is a tendency for the lower portion of the case to swing inwardly toward the person carrying it, the pressure of the lingers acting against the internal surfaces of the corner portion yovercomes it suiciently for convenient Carrying It will be noted in Figure 4 that the blank is cut to relate the corrugations 36 vertically or at right angles to the major axis of the hand hole. The corrugations act as struts to resist compressive forces acting against the load bearing edge of the hole when the case is carried by both hands. The corrugations extending across the opposite ends of the hole and joining the top of the case act as beams to resist forces angular to the plane Aof the end wall, for example when the case is carried by one hand.

It will be apparent in Figure 3 that the location of the hand hole' adjacent the side walldisplaces the major bulk of the case laterally outwardly away from the person carrying it, leaving the legs unencumbered. A conventional case having centralized hand holes, as distinguished from present laterally offset holes, is awkward to carry with onel hand because approximately one half the case extends laterally toward the person carrying it.

It is customary in the brewing industry to require the various types of beer cases to withstand a strength test of at least 200 lbs. A disposable case of the present construction, with centralized hand holes in place of the corner location, would require reinforcement to be built into the case to strengthen the hand holes; the present structure provides adequate strength without such reinforcement, thereby simplifying the construction and reducing the cost.

Having described my invention I'elaim:

1. A hand grip structure for a beverage bottle case formed of paperboard material, the case being rectangular longitudinally and square transversely having a rectangular bottom, side walls and top, the case having generally square end walls, one of said end walls having a hand grip hole formed therein, said hole being oblong and having suicient length and Width for insertion of the hand therethrough, the hand hole located in a corner portion of the end wall adjacent the vside wall and top, the end wallhaving a load, Ybearing section extending from the top of the case to the upper edge of the hand hole, the oblong hand hole having a major axis which resides at an oblique angle relative to the said adjacent side wall and top, the oblique upper edge of the hand hole suspending the case in a generally perpendicular position, the hand hole being displaced outwardly from an axis passing through the center of gravity of the suspended case to overbalance the suspended case in a direction of inclination to transmit the load stresses upwardly from the upper edge of the hand hole and partially in compression through the load bearing section obliquely toward the top and side wall of the case.

2. A hand grip structure for a beverage bottle case formed of paperboard material, the case being rectangular longitudinally and square transversely having a rectangular bottom, side walls and top, the case having generally square end walls, one of said end walls having a hand grip hole formed therein, said hole being oblong and having suicient length and width for insertion of the hand therethrough, the hand hole located in a corner portion of the end wall adjacent the side wall and top, the hand hole having an upper load bearing edge spaced downwardly from the top a distance greater than the width of the hand hole providing a load bearing and wall section, the end of the hand hole which is adjacent the side wall being spaced inwardly from the side wall a distance less than the width of the hole and providing a second load bearing end wall section, said hand hole having a major axis which resides at an oblique angle relative to the said adjacent top and side wall, the oblique upper edge of said hand hole suspending the case ina generally perpendicular position, the hand hole being displaced outwardly and laterally from an axis passing through the center of gravity of the suspended case to overbalance the suspended case in a direction of inclination to transmit the load stresses partially in compression from the upper edge of the hand hole obliquely through said load bearing wall sections to the top and side wall of the case.

3. A hand grip structure for a beverage bottle case formed of paperboard material, the case being rectangular longitudinally and square transversely having a rectangular bottom, -side walls and top, the case having generally square end walls, one of said end walls having a hand grip hole formed therein, said hole being oblong and having sufficient length and width for insertion of the hand therethrough, the hand hole located in a corner portion of the end wall adjacent the side wall and top, the hand hole having yan upper load bearing edge spaced downwardly from the top a distance greater than the width of the hand hole providing a load bearing end wall section, the end of the hand hole which is adjacent the side wall being spaced inwardly from the side wall a distance less than the width of the hole and providing a second load bearing end wall section, said hand hole having a major axis which resides at an oblique angle relative to the said adjacent top and side wall, the oblique upper edge of said hand hole suspending the case in a generally perpendicular position, the hand hole being displaced outwardly and laterally from an aids passing through the center of gravity of the suspended case to overbalance the suspended case in a direction of inclination to transmit the load stresses partially in compression from the upper edge of the hand hole obliquely through said load bearing wall sections to the top and side wall of the case, the oblique angle of the upper edge of the hand hole corresponding to the natural angle of a hand inserted in the hole and gripping the upper edge thereof, thereby to suspend the case in a position in which the adjacent side wall resides in a generally vertical plane parallel with the direction in which the case is carried while suspended from the hand.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,308,050 Burr Jan. 12, 1943 2,312,598 Sprague Mar. 2, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 514 Great Britain 1912 

